"Of course, of course," Tandy backed off smoothly. "I wouldn't want to put you in an awkward position. Though I imagine Leahnora will want all of Evangelina's recent work, given the circumstances of her death."
"You think it wasn't an accident?" Tiffany asked, leaning forward with the macabre interest typical of teenagers.
"Between us," Tandy lowered her voice conspiratorially, "Detective O'Reilly is treating it as suspicious. The rope was deliberately messed with, I think. They think the vampires did it!" She gasped dramatically, then added: "Not that I have any inside information about vampire schemes! I'm just repeating gossip! Regular old town gossip that anyone might have heard!"
"They think the vampires did it?" Tiffany asked, suddenly wide-eyed.
"That's the obvious conclusion," Tandy agreed. "Though some are questioning why vampires would use such a mundane method rather than their own abilities." She shrugged elegantly. "But that's for the professionals to determine. I'm just a humble real estate agent. With no vampire connections whatsoever! None! Zero! Perfectly normal real estate witch here!"
The self-deprecation worked. Tiffany's gaze softened with trust. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check the appointment crystal. Just to help the investigation."
As the girl turned to open Evangelina's desk, Tandy allowed herself a small smile of triumph. She had effectively diverted Tiffany's attention from her presence in Evangelina's private office while gaining access to potentially damaging records.
When Tiffany returned with the crystal, a small pyramid-shaped object that glowed with a soft blue light, Tandy made a show of concern for the girl's emotional state.
"Are you sure you're all right being here alone?" she asked. "After such a shocking event, you really should have company. Why don't you let me handle canceling my appointment, and you can take some time for yourself?"
Tiffany looked relieved at the suggestion. "Maybe I should go home. My mom's been calling nonstop anyway."
"Excellent idea," Tandy encouraged. "Family is so important in times like these. I can lock up when I'm done. You know, I'll be listing the place, anyway. Nobody wants a ghost haunting their business! Not that I've thought about this property's future market value during this tragic time. That would be highly inappropriate!"
After Tiffany left, Tandy waited until the door closed before turning her attention to the appointment crystal. Unlike the folder, this wouldn't fit in her handbag. She'd need to either destroy it or alter the records.
She found the crystal, still glowing faintly with an unsent message. Picking it up carefully, she activated it to display the contents.
"Roam---Ronald's tried this before. Florida, 1987. Failed vampire resort. Tandy working with them. Beware the cross. Water only works if freely given---"
The message cut off there, never completed or sent. Tandy gasped in indignation.
"She spelled my name right! That is so unfair! Why does the evil villain always get proper name recognition when half my clients still call me 'Candy'?"
After a moment of vanity-based outrage, the actual content of the message sank in.
"Wait, this is bad. This is very bad. This is career-endingly bad! Reputation-destroyingly bad! Corner-office-with-name-plaque-revokingly bad!"
She crushed the crystal in her hand, ignoring the sharp edges cutting into her palm.
"Too late, Evangelina," she whispered. "But nice try."
Blood from her cut hand dripped onto the appointment crystal, which absorbed it with an ominous hiss. The blue glow turned briefly red before fading completely, the records corrupted beyond recovery.
Tandy examined her bleeding palm with a pout. "Great. The things I do for eternal commission. This better not leave a scar---how am I supposed to dramatically point at property features with a scarred hand? Clients expect perfect hand modeling in this business!"
She slipped out through the back door of Evangelina's office, leaving no trace of her presence except a single business card deliberately placed on the desk---a little professional touch she couldn't resist.
The card read: "Tandy Keyes, Vampire Real Estate Queen" with the tagline "Selling Cauldron Falls Properties For Centuries To Come!" in tiny print at the bottom.
"Oops, wrong card," she muttered, noticing too late that she'd left one of her prototype vampire realtor cards. "Oh well, nobody will connect the dots. That would require actual detective work!"
As she walked away, the magical instruments in Evangelina's office began to stir again, as if disturbed by some unseen force. The pendulum that had stopped at her death began to swing once more, but erratically, its rhythm disrupted by the dark magic that now tainted the space.
Back in her car, Tandy checked her reflection in the mirror, practicing different facial expressions.
"Shocked about vampire arrival!" she gasped, widening her eyes dramatically. "Concerned about community welfare!" she frowned, furrowing her brow. "Innocent of all wrongdoing!" she declared with an unconvincing look of virtue.
She finally settled on what she considered her most professional expression---a practiced smile that revealed just the right amount of teeth without looking predatory. Perfect for greeting both her current witch clients and her future vampire ones.
"Soon," she whispered to her reflection. "Very soon."
